A leg that wasn't there

Ephesians 4: 17-24
17Now this I say and testify in the Lord, that you must no longer walk as the Gentiles do, in the futility of their minds. 18They are darkened in their understanding, alienated from the life of God because of the ignorance that is in them, due to their hardness of heart. 19They have become callous and have given themselves up to sensuality, greedy to practice every kind of impurity. 20But that is not the way you learned Christ!-- 21assuming that you have heard about him and were taught in him, as the truth is in Jesus, 22to put off your old self, which belongs to your former manner of life and is corrupt through deceitful desires, 23and to be renewed in the spirit of your minds, 24and to put on the new self, created after the likeness of God in true righteousness and holiness.

In the New King James, New International and New American Standard Versions, verse 19 started with "being past feeling gave themseves up to..." That is exactly what was going on in my life! It's not as if I walked away from the Lord completely, but I was allowing anger, malice, laziness and lust of the flesh to creep in by sugar-coating things that I do and finding an excuse to commit them. This is like leprosy, where the patient will bite his fingers and let his hand bleed and yet not feel pain. Or having rats coming in the middle of the night and eating the flesh away and not feeling the lost of the limp because the nerve-endings are dead. In the same way there are many Christians who have forsaken the way of the Lord and have allowed sin to eat them up without them knowing. Their hearts have become callous and being past feeling have given themselves to the depravity of their minds. I have walked on a leg that wasn't there! I have a problem but I didn't address it, I became callous and was past feeling!

What is wrong with me? On the days that I was working, I had alienated myself from God by not being in prayer at all times. Thus my mind is constantly in a battle to find it's rightful owner. I do declare that I follow Christ, but my actions and thoughts says otherwise. This struggle is exactly what Paul talks about in Romans 7, but in Romans 8 (as reminded on Sunday), I am reminded that there is actually no condemnation in Christ! Christ had set me free! I am so glad for this timely reminder! I am so glad that the spirit of death has no hold on me, but what gives me assurance is the Spirit that rose Jesus from the dead; that same Spirit dwells in me setting me free!

After the warning in the verses above, verse 20 goes on to encourage Christians to "be renewed in the spirit of our minds. and to put on the new self, created after the likeness of God in true righteousness and holiness." (v 23-24). Praise be to God for His a way to get back again! Indeed everything to God is possible. The "leg" that was missing was "replaced" by the power of the Holy Spirit. I am reminded again, if u ever fall away from the Lord, remember when u started crumbling and return back to there we stopped and carry on!

Thank God for his forgiveness. His mercy and grace is great and awesome. New every morning is his loving kindness towards all whose trust is in Him. Indeed I do break forth in praise with the words I sang myself to sleep last night.

Tis' so sweet to trust in Jesus
Just to take Him at His word
Just to trust upon His promise
Just to know He is the Lord